This is one of those diaries you might come to because you want a little levity. That's all I have to sell here, but I think it's a good thing to let our hearts be light now and then.
The other night I heard Rachel say this very thing: "TV has never been better." And I was SO relieved that such a smart lady agreed with me. I too think TV has never been better.
Every time I hear some good soul tell me they threw their TV out years ago, and now read via firelight a al Lincoln---just kidding---I think, am I really that shallow? Shit, I love TV, can't imagine my life without it.
Which is not to say I spend hours a day in front of it, but hey, winters in Minnesota don't leave you with a lot of options come darkness, which occurs at about 4:30 in the deepest weeds of winter. My husband and I have had a nightly fire going since November, and we do like to hunker down under our warm throw blankets and watch a good show.
And seems to us there's so much more and better to choose from these days. We're both politicos and enjoy the news, but that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about sheer entertainment.
My caveat is we do invest in cable and past season DVDs that we buy used. We don't like our cable company any better than anyone does, but we've thrown our hands up. If we amoratize the cost of our enjoyment, turns out to be a good investment.
There's many a diary here about books, but none that I've seen about TV. So I wanted to ask what y'all are watching. Or, why you don't miss your TV. All viewpoints welcome.
Here's a couple of things we've really enjoyed, outside of politics and the news.
The Good Wife.
Good ensemble show. Good writing, good actors, good stories. Not a show you can just jump into and fully enjoy. Best to start at the beginning. Used DVDs of past seasons are very cheap on Amazon or Ebay, and if you have Net Flicks you can probably start at season one and keep going.
Parenthood.
Some say it's too soapy, most haven't ever seen it. It's a very good family show, imo. And I mean that both in that you can watch it with your kids, and that it portrays families
in a way that is a long way from "Father Knows Best." Again, fine writing and performances, imo. Again, past seasons are cheap on DVD, and then there's Netflicks.
Homeland.
Gripping. Claire Danes is great as the protagonist. It's gotten a lot of buzz, and I can see why.
Dexter.
I resisted the idea that I needed to watch a series about a serial killer for a long time. My nieces and nephews, almost all and many of them, kept telling me I was missing something. They were right.
Got a season for my husband for Xmas, figured he'd probably like it, and it didn't matter if I didn't. But I got hooked too. We've now watched everything up to the 7th season.
I guess it's that for our generation, TV was always black and white, and I mean that metaphorically, as well as literally. Good or bad, right or wrong, hero or villain. No shades of gray for the better part.
Dexter will find you feeling affection and understanding for a serial killer. Yep, that's different. Excellent cast, multi layered plots, and surprisingly, often very funny.
Nurse Jackie.
Same deal as Dexter. A pill popping, wife cheating nurse who you end up liking for her better side. VERY shades of gray.
Downton Abbey.
Yep, we love it. Husband is chagrined. Can't believe anything so "chic" has hooked him like a big old trout.
And really, there's so much more. Documentaries and specials on the History channel, my favorite cooking shows, even though I don't cook a lick, and the occasional afternoon with HGTV when I, like Hillary, just want to chill in the world of making our nests.
So there's some of my picks. Would love to hear yours. And if you hate TV and consider it the devil's manifestation of shallow thinking and distraction, you too are welcome to comment.